1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is an impression device for food items. More particularly, the present invention is an enhanced stamper device designed to create indented or raised images upon a variety of foods for decoration and/or marketing purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for decorative food devices have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to the invention at hand, as well a description outlining the differences between the features of the present invention and those of the prior art.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,476, Invented by Schultz, Entitled “Device for Pressing, Imprinting and Cooking Flat Bread Products”
The patent to Schultz describes an imprinting press and cooking apparatus for a dough product which includes an imprinting station with respective opposed lower press and upper imprinting plates and rotating plate or endless belt conveyors adjacent the imprinting station for moving the dough product which has been pressed and imprinted through a cooking or baking phase. Heat sources are disposed adjacent the imprinting station and the conveyors for preheating the dough product for release from the printing station and for cooking the dough product, respectively. A pressure air slide is disposed between conveyor stages for transferring the dough product from one conveyor stage to another. Pressure air is supplied to the air slide through a conduit and into a chamber for flow through a perforated plate which supports the dough product for movement along the slide.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,026, Invented by Feeley, Entitled “Illustration Applicator For Food Products”
The patent to Feeley describes a method of creating food product, such as pizza, which will produce an illustrated, decorative personalized food product by using edible symbols and or edible granules and or edible powder. The edible symbols, granules or powder, which may have coloring, are applied to the surface of food product by using a symbol placement applicator that applies precut symbols and or a stencil placement applicator, which applies granulated or powdered edibles to form designs. The symbols and or granulated or powder design is fused to the food product during a thermal fusing process.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,273, Invented by Krubert, Entitled “Printing of Foods”
The patent to Krubert describes a method of forming a printed food or baked product, and the product itself comprises forming a hard, non-porous icing surface by drying an icing mixture and printing one or more edible inks on the hard surface of the icing using a printing pad having an edible silicone oil therein. The icing may be in the form of a coating on a hard baked product. The specific gravity of the icing mixture before drying is between about 1.0 and 2.5 and, preferably, between about 1.05 and 1.5. The hard baked product has a finished moisture of between about 2–10% by weight of the finished baked product and, preferably, between about 2–8% by weight.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,009, Invented by Kordic et al., Entitled “Pizza Pie with Crust Structure”
The patent to Kordic et al. describes a pizza mold and method for making a pizza which includes a frame having a generally planar surface with one or more cavities extending across an extent of the frame. One cavity can be disposed at a location on the frame which corresponds to a desired configuration for the pizza. One or more cavities can in addition or alternatively extend across the frame in a desired geometric or fanciful configuration, such as an alpha-numeric character, cartoon character, etc. The dough is brought into contact with the frame either by forming the dough across the surface of the frame such that the dough covers the frame and is pressed into the cavities, or the dough can be located only within the cavities. In the former case, the frame is removed with the cavities imparting raised ridges of dough on the crust, while in the latter case the flat pizza pie can be formed separately and the frame inverted such that the dough in the frame is transferred onto the surface of the pie to impart the raised ridges of dough on the pie. Toppings can be located between (or within) the ridges on the dough, and the dough is baked such that the ridges form crust on the pizza.
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,978, Invented by Quinlivan, Entitled “Method for Decorating Baked Goods and the Like”
The Quinlivan invention describes a method whereby decorative designs and the like can be formed upon baked goods by transferring a pre-printed design from a transfer material to an uncooked dough surface. In one embodiment the dough surface is first covered with a thin layer of flour preparatory to transferring a water-soluble ink design to the dough. In a preferred embodiment after the dough is baked a liquid glaze is applied to the surface thereof for imparting a decorative and protective coating to the baked goods. The process of the invention is suitable for both hand and automated operation.
6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,394, Invented by Macpherson et al., Entitled “Method for Making Edible Base Shapes Having Pictorial Images for Decorating Foodstuffs”
The patent to Macpherson et al. describes a method of using a silk screen to form thin, flat, flexible, free standing base shapes or transfers directly on release paper in their final form from fluid base shape material, all in one step. After drying, pictorial images are then silk screened onto the base shapes to produce the final edible image for decorating foodstuffs. Recipes for preparing the fluid base shape material and a novel machine for peeling the base shapes from the release paper with a spring steel blade are also disclosed.
7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,047, Invented by Ahn, Entitled “Method for Imprinting Confectionery Products with Edible Ink”
The Ahn invention relates to a method of imprinting diverse shapes of multiple colors inside the confectionery products with edible ink. According to the present invention, a liquified mixture of confectionery material is partially filled and solidified in a plurality of molds. A plurality of etching plates, which have been partially perforated along the predetermined shape and according to the number of predetermined colors, are mounted on the surface of the solidified mixture. Edible ink of predetermined colors is dispersed by turns on the plurality of said etched plates, and the remaining portion of the liquified mixture is filled and solidified in the plurality of molds.
8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,927, Invented by Mosby et al., Entitled “Device for Making Designs on Toast”
The patent to Mosby et al. describes a device for producing designs on a slice of bread during toasting of the bread which comprises a bread holding member removably received within the toast well of an electric toaster. The bread holding member is of lightweight heat resistive material having a bottom portion resting on the bread carriage member of the toaster and side panels which receive and carry a slice of bread to be toasted. Either or both of the side panels has a template cut out defining a framed central opening with a design therein. The design shields the bread slice from the heat of the toaster such that the design will be reproduced on the bread slice in toasting. An insulated handle provides for inserting and removing the bread holder from the toast well and to protect the user from accidental burns or electrical shock. The bread holding member is isolated from direct contact with electrical conduit and heating elements of the toaster. A modification of the device includes removable side panels.
9. U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,305, Invented by Naivar, Entitled “Diamond Shaped Charmarker”
The patent to Naivar describes a charmarker for creating complex grid pattern of mark, such as a diamond-shaped gird pattern, on foods as the foods pass under the charmarker on a conveyer. The charmarker contains a rotating shaft on which heated char marking rings rotatably hang. Each of the rings is provided with parallel, spaced apart cross marking members located at the periphery of the ring. The shaft is provided with ridges and valleys that engage, in a gear fashion, teeth and grooves provided on an interior opening surface of each ring in order to keep the rings in synchronized rotation as they pass over the food. Synchronized rotation of the rings keeps the cross marking members on the rings aligned so that the desired grid pattern of mark appears on the food.
10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,349, Invented by Fiorenza, Entitled “Toaster Accessory”
In the patent to Fiorenza, a toaster accessory is provided in the form of a pair of hinged foraminous panels forming a holder adapted to hold one or several slices of bread therebetween. In its preferred use, a sandwich is placed between the two panels and the holder, when closed, is dimensioned to fit into a conventional toaster so that a pre-made sandwich may be conveniently toasted therein. The hinge connection between the two panels is self-adjusting and a locking device at the opposite end is able to lock at different thicknesses. Decorative inserts may be added to the panels for making designs on the surface of the toasted bread.
The relevant prior art described above largely entails: imprinting and cooking devices for dough products that include press and imprinting plates; edible symbols and/or granulated or powder designs fused to food by thermal fusing processes; printing edible inks on the hard surface of icing of hard baked products; and various pre-printed designs applied to uncooked dough surfaces.
In contrast, the stamper device of the present invention creates images upon foods via actual embossing or stamping, for decoration and/or marketing purposes. As such the device may be utilized for: 1) standard messages and images; 2) snap-in, slide-in, or push-in letters, which allows the user to assemble his or her own custom message; or 3) custom logos, messages, and images.
The stamper device, which has the appearance of a traditional rubber stamp, provides both an emboss-only mode, and emboss-and-cut simultaneously mode, much in the manner of a cookie cutter. A simple snap slide, or push means located at the bottom of the device functions to change such modes. A large knob at the top functions to quickly adjust the depth of embossings, and small wings beside the knob provide an instant feature for orientation and comfortable ergonomic grip.